Controller for rolling-mill repeaters.



No. 848,581. 'PATENTED MAR. 26, 190.7. E. P. TOWNSEND.

CONTROLLER FOR ROLLING MILL'RBPEATERS. APPLICATION TILED xov.12. 1906..

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK PILGRIM TOWNSEND, or E'LviiiATOh-no, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL TUBEOOMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONTROLLER FOR ROLLING-MILL REPEATERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ratented March 26, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK PILGRIM TOWN- sEND, of Elyria, Lorain county,Ohio, have invented .a new and useful Improvement in Controllers forRolling-Mill Repeaters, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,which is a perspective diagram showing my invention and its application.

My invention has relation to controlling means for rolling-millrepeaters.

In ordinary 'rollingmill practice where roller-driven repeaters are usedthe repeaters are driven from the roll-train or train-engine by belts orgears, and the speeds therefore are always in a fixed proportion to themill speeds. This fixed-speed proportion is obj ectionable in a numberof ways, as is also the means of driving the repeater. The speed of therepeater and the distance it stands from the roll-train are usuallydetermined by lengthy experiments. Even when these factors aredetermined the peripheral speed of the repeater will vary as weardiminishes the diameter of the repeater-rolls. Also as wear diminishesthe diameter of the mill-rolls the peripheral speed of the repeatershould be correspondingly lower. This with ordinary mechanicalconnection from the mill is difiicult, sothat a means of varying theperipheral speed of the repeater through a wide range should be of somevalue. It is also desirable in order to locate the repeater as close tothe roll-train as possible to raise the speed of the repeater while itis receiving a piece from the rolls and to lower the speed of therepeater while it is deliverin a piece to the rolls. I have accomplisheda l of these speed variations simply by electrical means by providinsuitable controlling arrangements inserte in the shuntfielol of anordinary directcurrent motor which I use to drive the repeater-rolls. Inits more simple arrangement the re eater-drive motor is connecteddirectly to t e general power-circuits and all the control accomplishedby means of variable field strength.

Where the mill speed is liable to considerable fluctuations, I havearranged to provide an auxiliary generator, belted or otherwiseconnected to the roll-train engine, which will vary the voltageimpressed on the armature of the repeater-motor, tending to increase thespeed of the motor should the mill speed increase or diminish this speedshould the mill speed decrease. This small generator is connected as abooster in series with the armature-circuit. Should there not be anypower-circuit available for operating the repeater-motor, then thegenerator may be made large enough to furnish the power for operatingthe repeater or repeaters.

My control arrangement for the automatic speed increasing and decreasingof the repeater while receiving and delivering pieces from and to therolls and for securing the variation of the maximum and minimum speedsto compensate for wear in either the repeater-rolls or the mill-rolls issubstantially as follows:

In the drawing, 2 indicates the rolls of a three-high mill, and 3 3 apair of repeaterrolls which are driven by the electric motor 4. 5 5designate the field-coils of this motor, which are shunt-wound.Connected in series with these field-coils is an adjustable rheostat 6,and 7 is a second similar rheostat which is also in series with saidcoils.

8 designates the repeater-guide, and 9 is a trigger device which islocated immediately behind the mill-pass which delivers the piece to therepeater. This trigger is connected to a lever 10, which actuates themovable contact member 11, which normally rests upon two stationarycontacts 12, which are connected with the terminals of the rheostat 7 toconstitute a short circuit for such rheostat.

13 indicates a generator which is connected in the circuit 14 of thearmature of the motor 4 to operate as a booster and which is indicatedas being belted or otherwise connected to be driven from the roll-trainor train-enme. g When the piece issues from the rolls, it strikes thetrigger 9, thereby opening the two contacts 12 and causing the currentwhich has been flowing through this contact to pass the usual manner.

through the rheostat 7. The amount of resistance which is inserted bythis rheostat is controlled by the position of its handle 7 in Theaction of this rheostat is of course to increase the resistance of thefield-circuit of the motor 4, and thereby increase the s eed of themotor. As soon as the piece has eft the roll-pass the trigger 9 isreturned to its normal position by means of gravity or a suitablespring, thereby closing the circuit between the contacts 12 andshortcircuiting the rheostat 7. This reduces the resistance in thefield-circuit, which immediately lowers the motor speed, and the piecemay now be delivered to the roll-pass, following the repeater at such aspeed that there will be no buckling of the piece being rolled. Therheostat 6 is employed to compensate for wear of the rolls of both therepeater and the mill. This rheostat will raise or lower both the highand the low speed, but will not effect to any great extent the speedvariation which is determined by the rheostat 7. When the rheostat 6 isturned in one direction, it will raise both the low speed and the'highspeed a certain per cent. and if turned in the opposite direction willlower the high and the low speed a certain per cent. Both rheostats areused in combination for the purpose of controlling the speed variationwhen it is desired to increase or decrease the reduction in the passesfollowing the repeater, which is a feature of great practical value.

The advantages of my invention consists in the sim lification of therepeater-drive, the possibi ity of placing the repeater much closer tothe rolls and thereby reducing the time that the piece is out of therolls, and the elimination of the time required for the adjustment ofthe repeater for different sizes and weights of material being rolled.The invention also provides convenient means for taking care of thevariation in roll diameters on both rolls and repeater. It allows allthe adjustment of the mill-rolls to be made independently of anyconsideration for the repeater and permits a larger variation in englnespeed, which will be automatically follgwed by the motor when thebooster is use It .Will be obvious that my invention may be applied torollingmills in various ways without departing from its spirit andscope, since What I claim,is

1. In a rolling-mill, a repeater having rolls, a motor for drivin therepeater-rolls, and a device arranged to be controlled by the piecebeing rolled, and having connections arranged to var the speed of themotor; substantially as escribed.

2. In a rolling-mill, a repeater having rolls,

an electric motor for driving the repeater rolls, a rheostat in themotor-circuit for varying the speed of the motor, and a switch devicefor the rheostat arranged to be actu ated by the piece being rolled;substantially as described.

3. In a rolling-mill, a repeater having rolls, a shunt electric motorfor driving the rolls of the repeater, a rheostat in the field-circuitof the motor, means for normally short-circuiting the rheostat, and aswitch operated by the piece being rolled for removing the shortcircuit; substantially as described.

4. In a rollingmill, a repeater having rolls, an electric motor fordriving the repeaterrolls, a speed-controlling rheostat in the circuitof the motor, means for normally short circuiting the rheostat, a devicearranged to be moved by the piece being rolled to temporarily remove theshort circuit, and a second speed-controlling device also in themotorcircuit for modifying the speed changes effected by the rheostat;substantially as described.

5. In a rolling-mill, a repeater having rolls, an electric motor fordriving the rolls of the repeater, adjustable speed-controllingrheostats in the circuit of the motor, and a switch device having anoperating member in the path of movement of the piece being rolled, theswitch device being arranged to control the operative circuitconnections of one of the rheostats, substantially as described.

6. In a rollingmill, a repeater having rolls, an electric motor fordriving the. rolls of the repeater, a speed-controlling rheostat in thecircuit of the motor, contact devices nor'. mally short-circuiting therheostat, and a trigger device located in the path of the piece beingrolled, and having connections to operate the contact devices;substantially as described.

7. In a rolling-mill, the combination of re ducing-rolls, a repeaterhaving feed-rolls, an electric motor connectedto and arranged to drivethe feed-rolls, a generator connected in the circuit of the motor to actas a booster, and connections for driving the generator by thereducing-roll-driving engine substantially as described.

8. In a rolling-mill, the combination of reducing-rolls, a repeaterhaving feed-rolls, an electric motor connected to and arranged to drivethe feed-rolls, a generator connected in the circuit of the motor to actas a booster, and a positive driving connection between the generatorand the reducing-rolls; substantially as described.

9. In a rolling-mill, a repeater-guide and re eater feed-rolls operatingin conjunction with said guide, a power-motor constructed and arrangedto drive the feed-rolls, a controlling member adjacent to therepeaterguide and normally held in one position, and arranged to bemoved and held out of nor- Inal position by a piece which passes overthe guide, the said controlling member constructed and arranged tooperate the controlling means of a speed-controlling device, saidcontrolling device being connected to the motor and arranged to vary thespeed of the motor; substantially as described. 10 In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK PILGRIM TOWNSEND. Witnesses:

CORWIN O. MOILYAR, CHARLES E. W001).

